Syria Slams US-led Coalition Strikes on Army instead of ’ISIS’: Several Dead, Injured

Local Editor

US-led coalition warplanes are reported to have killed four Syrian soldiers in the Dier al Zor province, which is mostly under the control of "ISIS".

A Syrian government source confirmed that the airstrike had taken place and that there had been casualties. The source also added that vehicles had been destroyed.

A total of four Syrian Army soldiers have been killed, while a further 16 were injured, a government source told RIA Novosti.

"The airstrike hit an ammunition dump belonging to the Syrian Army in Dier al Zor. According to our information, four soldiers have died and 16 were injured. Two tanks were also damaged. This was the work of the US-led coalition," the government source added.

The so-called Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said an air raid "by the international coalition" hit the camp in the west of Deir Ezzor province, "around two kilometers one mile from an area controlled by "ISIS".

"Regime forces have never previously been hit by raids from the international coalition, which was targeting extremist bases and oil tankers in Deir Ezzor," Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman said.

In response, the Syrian government confirmed that there are three casualties and 13 personnel injured, as well as a number of military vehicles destroyed.

The Syrian Foreign Ministry has filed an official protest with the UN Security Council regarding the US-led coalition's airstrikes on Syrian troops, Syria's SANA official news agency reported Monday.

"Syria strongly condemns the act of aggression by the US-led coalition that contradicts the UN Charter on goals and principles. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has sent letters to the UN Secretary General and the UN Security Council," SANA quoted the foreign ministry as saying.

The Dier al Zor province is eastern Syria, and is largely controlled by "ISIS". The region is of extreme strategic importance to the terrorist group, as it contains a number of oilfields, which are a major source of revenue for "ISIS".

On November 24, a Turkish Air Force F-16 jet shot down a Russian Su-24 bomber over Syria.

Ankara claims the Russian plane briefly crossed into Turkish airspace. One of the Russian pilots was killed by Syrian rebels as he ejected from the stricken plane, while the other was rescued in a swift operation during which one Russian serviceman was killed.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team